


Spirits, Give Me Strength

by VoidGhost



Series: The Mighty Nein, Avatar Style [1]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: (briefly) - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Friendship, Metalbending & Metalbenders, Other, Team Bonding, Team Clerics, Team as Family, idk how to tag non romantic stuff lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:49:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25966156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VoidGhost/pseuds/VoidGhost
Summary: Caduceus Clay wasn’t much of an Earthbender. He was taught by his parents, who were taught by their parents, who were taught by their parents…Anyway. Colton and Calliope remain as the talented siblings, and the two most drawn to battle. Caduceus was fine with that. He could use his earthbending to shield himself and put distance between his opponents. He could make flowers bloom and moss gather where they’re needed. He felt he had a good relationship with the nature spirits. That was enough for him.At least, until now.-Caduceus and Jester were captured and imprisoned in a metal box. It was only their luck that Caduceus is the only Clay unable to metalbend.
Relationships: Caduceus Clay & Jester Lavorre
Series: The Mighty Nein, Avatar Style [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1884691
Comments: 4
Kudos: 45





	Spirits, Give Me Strength

**Author's Note:**

> I started an ATLA au because of Korra. This is my life now.
> 
> I have some notes on this altered Exandria at the end, if you're curious ;)

“Dad! Mom!  _ Look at me! _ ”

Calliope’s shout attracted everyone’s attention in the garden. Even Caduceus, at an age where he didn’t pay attention to much except the beetles and the mushrooms, looked up at his sister in awe. 

Calliope, an adolescent in firbolg years, stood on a jutting rock, her hands curled above her head, the nearby dirt floating in clumps around her alongside a stray, broken piece of sword. Most likely an old heirloom of the families buried in the Grove. As the rest of the Clays watched, Calliope stuck her tongue out the corner of her lips, and the sword gave a small dent. 

She instantly dropped her concentration and yipped happily, as their brother Colton, nearly mid-teens, watched a short distance away, jaw dropped and a displeased curl in his lip. Caduceus, old enough to recognize this, laughed hard enough to topple over in the grass. 

Cornelious scooped their daughter up, who squealed and clung to him. Constance, seated beside Caduceus on the moss, attempted to stand, but gave up when her swollen belly prevented her. She laughed with Caduceus and promised to make a special dinner tonight to celebrate (spotted mushroom and hot pepper soup - Calliope’s favorite).

A couple years later, Colton mastered metalbending with spite alone. Their family once again celebrated with a special family dinner (stuffed cabbage rolls and hot cider). Clarabelle had joined their family by that time and was already making flowers bloom. 

Caduceus, still only able to hold a grass blade and move loose pebbles, waited for the day for his very own celebration dinner. 

-

Caduceus Clay wasn’t much of an Earthbender. He was taught by his parents, who were taught by their parents, who were taught by  _ their  _ parents… 

Anyway. Colton and Calliope remained as the talented siblings, and the two most drawn to battle. Caduceus was fine with that. He could use his earthbending to shield himself and put distance between his opponents. He could make flowers bloom and moss gather where they’re needed. He felt he had a good relationship with the nature spirits. That was enough for him. 

At least, until now.

“Caduceus,” Jester said, letting her ice pick melt and bending it back into her waterskin. “I don’t think I can get us out of here.” 

The metal enclosure made it impossible for either of them to bend their way out of this prison. The rest of their party, most likely tracking them, were left defenseless without their clerics. 

And because of Caduceus, the ones who captured them threw them in the one type of fixture he couldn’t bend. 

“Caduceus?” Jester said again. “Are you okay?”

Catching himself, he gave her a soft smile. “I am. I think.” He looked to the metal door, solid except for a steel grate window that let the only light in. Outside, they could hear horse hooves. Wherever these people were taking them, he didn’t want to find out. “I just wish Calliope were here. She could break the door off its hinges.”

Jester’s eyes blew wide. “Your sister can bend metal?”

“My family can,” Caduceus said, the warmth returning to his expression as he spoke. “My mother calls it a gift from the Wildmother.”

“So, you can get us out of here?!” Jester asked, relief and excitement causing her jump in place. 

Caduceus’ smile fell. Seeing this, so did Jester’s. 

“I’m the only one who hasn’t achieved that,” Caduceus admitted. “Well, Clarabelle hasn’t yet, but she’s well on her way. Closer than I ever have.”

Jester pouted. “If your whole family can do it, so can you Ca _ duceus _ .”

“I’ve tried for a very long time, Jester,” Caduceus said. “It’s just never…” With a sigh, he backed against one wall and slid down, staring at the metal walls as if he could bend them with a glare. 

_ Colton probably could _ , Caduceus’ traitorous brain thought. 

Jester, ever the empathetic one, sat down beside him. 

“You want to know something?” Jester said. “I wasn’t very good at waterbending.”

At that, Caduceus gave her a confused look. “Really? You’re better at it than Fjord sometimes.”

Jester giggled. “No, really! My mama isn’t a bender, but she knew my father is. For a while, she thought I wasn’t a bender, either. I didn’t start showing signs until like, years after I was born! That was when the Traveler started teaching me. He taught me how to heal with water.

“It wasn’t easy. Mama always told me waterbending was about being  _ tranquil  _ and  _ graceful _ .” She stuck her tongue out to show how much she disliked this. “It was  _ boring _ . I didn’t want to learn  _ how  _ waterbending worked, I just wanted to  _ do it _ .

“I still wasn’t great at it until I left home. I could only make frost on the windows or, well,” She gave a mischievous grin. “Freeze locks.

“When I met Fjord, he kinda helped. He told me new things about waterbending I didn’t know. But it  _ really  _ became easier when we started fighting things.”

“That’s quite a story,” Caduceus said. “What made it click for you?”

Jester sheepishly shrugged. “I just started doing it when I really needed to, you know?”

“Hm.” Caduceus wasn’t sure if that helped, but he took note of it anyway. “Thank you, Jester.” 

Jester grinned at him, and opened her mouth to add on to her story, presumably - but just at that moment, the carriage came to a sudden stop. 

They looked at each other. Caduceus listened, and heard the muffled sounds of fighting. Jester sprung up to look through the grated window. 

“They’re here!” She shouted. She cupped her hands around her mouth. “Guys! We’re over here!”

“Jester!” Veth’s voice came from the other side. “Is Caduceus with you?”

“I’m here,” He said, coming to stand beside Jester. 

“I’ll get you both out of there!” She said. Caduceus heard a lockpick jam into the lock. 

“Hurry Veth,” Jester said. She had a clear view of the fight outside, which Caduceus only heard bits and pieces of. 

Suddenly, she gasped. “Veth, watch out!” 

Something suddenly collided with their metal prison. Jester and Caduceus were both thrown back against the wall while their entire platform tipped. They were painfully tumbled as the box rolled. 

They only came to a stop once the box settled on its back. Caduceus groaned, pain flaring up all over his body where there no doubt will be bruises. His rattled brain made no sense of their surroundings until he felt a drip of water on his face. 

Opening his eyes, he was able to witness the sunlight slowly fade away as their prison sunk into water. 

“Jester,” He said, urgently. “Jester, the window.” 

By the time Jester sat up, an inch of water had filled the box. She sealed the window shut with ice and looked at him helplessly. 

“I can’t bend beyond steel,” She admitted. “Maybe--Maybe Fjord can. If he can find us in time.” Her eyes searched for something she wasn’t willing to ask.

Through the ice, he saw the surface drift further and further away. The deeper they sunk, the harder it would be for Fjord - or any waterbender - to pull them up. 

Caduceus pressed his knuckles together and took a deep breath. He reached out for that connection he always felt so strongly with the earth. It was like an extension of his own spirit, a place where he and the Wildmother could meet in the middle. 

At first, he felt nothing. Just that cold disconnect he’s always felt when attempting to metalbend. It was even worse, when floating in water; it was like being lost in space, all connections to his spirit severed. 

Then; the sudden scent of pine. Of fresh greens and sweet fruits, like summer in the Grove. She was here. She always was. 

He felt it. He could envision the prison in his mind, could feel each corner like he felt his toes and fingers. He felt the weakness of the hinges on the door. 

With power flowing through him, he pushed his fist upwards, focusing on the weak points of the door. With a deafening  _ boom! _ the door flew off its hinges and blasted through the water, eventually coming to explode through the surface. 

Caduceus didn’t have the time to celebrate before the box flooded with water, which was when Jester gripped his arm and took them to the surface. When they broke through, though, she was quick to shake him.

“Ca _ duceus! _ ” She shrieked. “You can metalbend!” 

Her excitement was contagious. Caduceus laughed and clung to her, euphoric and relieved and  _ so  _ looking forward to seeing Colton’s face when he told them.

(He already knew his celebration dinner. It was cauliflower pasta and rice cakes.)

**Author's Note:**

> Some Notes:  
> \- This Exandria would be similar to the original ATLA (tech-wise).  
> \- Some of the Gods are past Avatar incarnations (Wildmother, Kord, and Ioun are notable ones for this AU)  
> \- Magic still exist to some extent  
> \- Although the nations are not officially separated into elements, they are largely populated by certain types  
> \- The Empire, and most of Exandria, do not know that metalbending is possible
> 
> I'll reveal more as I write more. I have some ideas :D


End file.
